Benzinga - by Anan Ashraf, Benzinga Editor.
Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F) CEO Jim Farley has reaffirmed the company’s dedication to keeping both Apple Inc‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) CarPlay and Alphabet-owned (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Android Auto in its vehicles. The statement comes just after rival automaker General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) decided to drop those systems for its own infotainment product in the new Chevrolet Blazer EV.
What Happened: “We’re committed to keeping Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. Ford customers love the features because they help keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel,” Farley stated on X.
He emphasized that Ford believes it offers the best experience in the market with its SYNC 4A in-car infotainment system, standard in the Mustang Mach-E and Ford Edge, compatible with phone mirroring features CarPlay and Android Auto.
We're committed to keeping Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. @Ford customers love the features because they help keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. We work closely with Apple & Google to create a very high-quality experience for customers. And I think we have the… pic.twitter.com/77gCex6evd— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) December 13, 2023
Why It Matters: The announcement follows GM’s decision to drop CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of its proprietary Ultifi infotainment software.
During a press event, GM’s Head of Product for Infotainment, Tim Babbitt, said that safety was a key reason for discontinuing phone-mirroring features. He argued that the unpredictability of CarPlay and Android Auto could lead to driver distraction, encouraging the use of built-in vehicle systems for improved safety — an assertion yet to be validated.
In a May interview with The Wall Street Journal, Farley justified Ford’s reliance on third-party features.
“In terms of content, we kind of lost that battle 10 years ago. So like get real with it, because you're not going to make a ton of money on content inside the vehicle," he had said.
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